Rigor and reasoning in research software: tutorial on testing and verification methods
BSSw Fellow Alper Altuntas will organize a hands-on tutorial on software testing and verification to help scientific software developers adopt practical and innovative techniques for improving software quality and reliability. Reliable and accurate scientific software is essential in fields like climate and weather modeling, where simulations play a critical role in advancing knowledge and supporting informed decision-making. This tutorial, hosted at NCAR’s Mesa Laboratory in Boulder, CO, and available in a hybrid format, will cover key topics such as unit testing, property-based testing, and architectural reasoning in scientific software design. Practical examples will be drawn from numerical modeling, data analysis, and related applications. By introducing these techniques, the tutorial aims to empower researchers to create robust, trustworthy software that drives progress in scientific computing.
Alper is a software engineer and climate model developer at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, where he leads software efforts for the ocean component of the Community Earth System Model, a state-of-the-art climate model. His work focuses on coupled ocean modeling and high-performance computing, alongside initiatives in code modernization, user-friendly modeling toolkits, and formal verification techniques to enhance the reliability, maintainability, and usability of scientific software systems. He holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering from North Carolina State University.
